This invention relates to a specialty hand tool to assist in the repair and maintenance of valves located inside an automobile engine. The valve condition directly affects engine efficiency, and each of the components in the valve assembly is subject to different types of wear. Mechanics must often completely disassemble the valve assembly in order to inspect and either recondition or replace worn or broken components.
As part of the disassembly process small metallic washers, customarily called valve spring shims must be removed and inspected. Valve spring shims are inserted into valve assemblies under the valve springs in order to maintain a specified compression of the valve springs that is necessary for proper engine operation. The valve spring shims are usually difficult to remove because the shims are located in a well in the engine head and occasionally in the engine block. The combination of pressure from the spring and gumming from contaminated oil affixes them to the valve spring seat. Compounding the problem, in many of newer engine designs the valve spring seat is deeply recessed into the engine head, making removal of even a loosened valve spring shim more difficult. Engine mechanics often waste valuable service time attempting to unstick and remove the valve spring shims using conventional tools such as screwdrivers or long tweezers.
It is an object of this invention to provide an inexpensive hand tool to quickly and easily extract a valve spring shim from the recessed well in which that valve spring shim is located. It is a further object of this invention to provide a tool that will remove a valve spring shim from a recessed well having a projecting valve stem guide around which the valve spring shim is seated.